meeting in the conference room at Fusion Brands

me with Caroline Pieper-Vogt, CEO of Fusion Brands

On the third day of FIDM’s New York Beauty Study Tour, our first appointment was with Fusion Brands, most known for their award winning lip plumper, Lip Fusion. We met with Caroline, the CEO of Fusion Brands, and she explained to us her role in the company. She spoke to us about her background, difficulties and successes with the brand, and what we will be seeing on store shelves in the upcoming months. She also gave us the background story of the Colorceuticals collection that Kim Kardashian is the face of.

Hearing Caroline’s role for the brand gave us a different perspective from what we were used to hearing because her responsibilities are of a much larger scale.  She was incredibly inspiring and motivating when she spoke to us about becoming a professional in the industry and general outlook on success. One thing she mentioned really stuck with me, and that’s listening to and following the ‘redirect’. Life is like a series of staircases, you don’t always know where you’re going to go, but if you follow the signs and redirects, you’ll get to where you want to be. She’s sensational, simply put.

Intercos trend and product display

Intercos cosmetic trend display

Meeting at Intercos offices

Our second stop of the day was at Intercos, an Italian cosmetic and skincare manufacturer that supplies some of the most recognized brands in the world. We met with Silvia and Jacqueline from the marketing department and they told us about what they do for the company. They dedicate much time to looking at upcoming trends in cosmetics and skin care. They’re always on the lookout for the next biggest thing. They meet with cosmetic and skin care companies and give presentations on what’s up and coming in the industry. They also spend time in the lab creating new formulas for cosmetics and skin care, many of which we got to see on display.

The office didn’t feel much like an ordinary office, it felt like a fantasy makeup land with all the creative and colorful trend inspirations displayed throughout the room. On these trend boards were makeup with new formula technologies and packaging inspirations giving us the ultimate makeup visual. Who knew cosmetic manufacturing would be so glamorous?!

CEW event with Bobbi Brown

me with Bobbi Brown

Our last event for the day was the Cosmetic Executive Women Event with Bobbi Brown. The first hour we spent networking with the CEW members whom are industry professionals. I got to meet some really interesting individuals from all different parts of the industry. I really like how CEW brings industry professionals who share the same passion into one place where they can network with one another and inspire each other.

We sat down in the audience and watched the interview with Bobbi Brown. Her best friend who is also her business partner was on stage with her. Bobbi Brown was so down to earth, and I loved how she was so honest and real. She spoke about what life is like for her now that she’s so successful, and she’s nothing but thankful. It was such an honor to meet her, she was so nice!

It was a fun-filled day with interesting experiences and much to learn from. Hearing from people from different parts of the industry opened my mind up to thinking about the many options and routes I have to work in the industry. I was a bit bummed that it was already day 3 and the trip was almost over.

Last Tuesday I attended the Cosmetic Executive Women event at the Beverly Hilton and listened to guest speakers Sonia Kashuk and Jillian Dempsey share their insight and experiences. This is the second CEW event I have attended and every time I leave I feel inspired by everyone’s passion for the industry and hearing the guests experiences. It’s incredibly motivating and very powerful.  The insight the guest speakers have to offer you just can’t get anywhere else, and the chance to network is a great opportunity.

Both Sonia and Jillian shared how they got started in the industry and some of their crazy stories along the way. Hearing them speak really showed how down to earth they are and really puts a face to the label. The experiences they shared are surprisingly really relatable to me and my fellow FIDM beauty students. The whole event was a  total confidence booster. Afterwards we received a gift bag filled with a truck load of beauty products. How excited am I right now? Really. You’ll be hearing about those babies later this week.